Commenting as Welsh Government publish their Independent Review of Leadership, alongside a written ministerial statement from the Minister for Education, Laura Doel, director of school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru, has called for an immediate full-scale review of the consortia in Wales.

“This independent report confirms what our members have been telling us and in turn what we have told the Welsh Government – leadership support in Wales is inconsistent and, in some areas, woefully lacking,” said Ms Doel.

“School leaders are consumed by driving forward the government’s ambitious reform agenda, having to support their teams with new curriculum development; guide the school through the new ALN legislation and support learners in teaching, learning and exams.

“To hear that the unevenness and bulking of leadership provision means the leadership offer is not always consistent or clear to senior leaders; to see that the quality of training and the delivery of support is variable at a regional and local level, and to hear that senior leaders highlighted how they feel they are responsible for navigating their own way through a set of developmental and training opportunities which are complex, convoluted, and sometimes confusing, is quite simply staggering.

“We are supposed to be creating an education system here that is the envy of other nations; that supports learners to be informed citizens of the world and reach their full potential, yet schools are being left to do this alone.”

In relation to the amount of money being put into the system*, Ms Doel continued: “The money put into leadership support and development is not insignificant therefore questions need to be asked why it is unable to deliver across the board.”

This is the second report in as many months that highlights concerns over the support offered to schools by the regional consortia.

In March a report published by Estyn highlighted similar issues when it came to supporting schools with curriculum development.

Ms Doel added: “NAHT Cymru is calling for the Welsh Government to commit to an immediate full-scale review of the consortia. Where good practice is recognised, that should be expanded across Wales to give a consistent offer to all and where areas are not performing, they should be held to account.

“We must ensure that money spent on education is offering the best possible value to our learners.

“We know that improvement is driven by strong leaders and good teaching and learning in smaller group settings therefore supporting this should be the focus therefore the government must explore the question – does the money spent on the regional consortia for school improvement as a whole offer at least the same value as putting more teachers in classrooms does?

“The government’s own vision for 21^st century schools references the unique position school leaders have in supporting wellbeing and development and in reimagining and driving the vision, but leaders cannot be expected to take this on when they themselves are not being supported.

“We support the recommendations of the report, in particular the call for leadership development to be prioritised and the use of research and evidence to inform development. 

“NAHT Cymru is eager to take part in purposeful collaborative leadership conversation as suggested. And while we welcome Education Minister Jeremey Miles’ statement on actions the government intends to take following the report, it stops short of a whole-scale review and we urge him to reconsider.”